Last week was the week of comebacks, from the Seattle Seahawks understandably coming back to beat the St. Louis Rams, to the Chicago Bears somehow rallying to defeat the Arizona Cardinals. There is no Sunday Night Football game this week, probably due to the World Series coverage, but there will be a game on Monday Night, and it'll be a big one.

Several exciting teams are back after a bye week, meaning we'll see the likes of Peyton Manning again. There's only one winless team left in the league, and they'll be facing a Cardinals team that is still stunned from their Monday Night loss. We're in for another wild week in the NFL, so let's start things off by taking a look at this week's games of the week.

(Red = Prediction)

Big Time Players Are Back
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
Both teams are coming off of big weeks, with each team establishing critical aspects of their offense finally. The Giants finally saw Jeremy Shockey come alive, who caught two touchdown passes down in the red zone, instead of forcing the Giants to let a team hang around with countless field goals. And, despite not doing much in the first half, the Cowboys got the ball to Terrell Owens three times for touchdowns in the second half. The Cowboys have already lost a big division game to the Philadelphia Eagles, and can't afford to fall any further behind to the Giants. The Giants are in good shape with their divisional record, having already won both of the games they've played.

Neither team will be perfect on offense - Eli Manning and Drew Bledsoe will trade series where they both struggle, and then on the following series, they'll both do good. Tiki Barber, despite his talk of retirement, still runs the ball very well against anyone he goes up against. The Cowboys have utilized their running back system properly this year, and they'll need to get things going early to make sure Bledsoe isn't getting pressured too often in the pocket. The Cowboys will have the advantage of playing at home, and with the spark to Owens last week, it'll continue this week in another Monday Night thriller. Cowboys win by a field goal.

Up "or" Falling
Carolina Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
I really hate picking against the Bengals in this one, simply because it would mean the Panthers would have to win their second straight road game against a tough AFC North opponent, something that's not easy to do. Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense have clearly struggled to get things going as they wished, and a simple addition like Chris Perry can't solve everything right off the bat. The Bengals defense has not been able to come up with big turnovers the past few weeks, another reason they've lost two games in a row.

Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers are progressively getting hotter and hotter. The defense and offense are playing together well, picking each other up when necessary. Steve Smith has been catching the ball a lot since his return, but no day was bigger than his game against the Ravens last week. Last year, that's a game the Panthers would've lost because too much of the focus would've been on Smith. Amazingly, with Keyshawn Johnson also a threat in the offense, Smith has benefited tremendously. Jake Delhomme will have his hands full on the road, but with all of the unfortunate injuries the Bengals have had to go through, there's no other choice but for me to take the Panthers in a close one.

The True Test for Big Ben
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons
It was all fun and games when Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers were able to demolish the Kansas City Chiefs last week, but it's a whole different week against the Falcons. Atlanta has struggled on their own note this season - although they've run the ball well, they haven't had enough of the "it" factor to put a game away against the tougher competition. The Steelers key to this game is not to blow out Atlanta - it's for Roethlisberger to throw the ball exactly how he did last week, or last year. If that is the tempo that the offense sets early, the Steelers' defense will come out fired up and have a better shot at containing Michael Vick in the pocket or Warrick Dunn in the backfield.

Tiki Barber tore apart Atlanta's run defense last week, and Willie Parker should be able to have over 100 yards of rushing whether Roethlisberger struggles or not. The Falcons problem still lays within Vick. When the running game is stopped, Vick will need a clutch throw on third down often. He doesn't have enough playmakers in the passing game to create an opening, meaning someone like Troy Polamalu will be able to step in for a big play. Steelers win by a touchdown in another disappointing game for the Falcons, who are watching the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers quickly improve upon their division lead.

Let's Have Some Fun, Peyton
Washington Redskins vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts won't have to wait long for their first test against a good running back since adding Anthony McFarland, as they'll take on the hard running Clinton Portis this week. The Colts were nearly upset twice before their bye week due to their porous run defense. Ironically, the team that the Colts just barely beat before their bye week, the Tennessee Titans, picked up their first victory over the Redskins last week. It only goes to show that the Redskins are too inconsistent offensively, but the more important thing may be how bad their defense has been.

Last year, the Redskins had a respectable defense, but this year, they've made almost little to none impact on the football game. The Colts have been frustrated in their inability to put away football games early, and that's exactly what they'll be looking to do this week against Washington. Manning needs to come out and throw the football early, because the Colts' running game has not been as effective in sustaining a drive via the ground game early - their success comes later. Colts will win comfortably in this one, forcing the Redskins to ponder whether or not a quarterback change will be in store eventually.

And now, the rest of the week...

Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets
The solid play of Jon Kitna continued last week, as the Lions were able to pick up their first win of the season. Meanwhile, the Jets have a chance to continue to take advantage of what has been a fairly easy schedule for the most part, as they have defeated every low record team they have faced so far. It's hard to imagine, but if the Jets can upset a team or two that are winning teams later in the season, they'll be in the playoff race right until the end of the season. Chad Pennington deserves a lot of credit for the wins, especially since the identity in the running game has yet to be established. Imagine what could happen if Curtis Martin returns, assuming he's healthy. Jets win convincingly, as the Lions make too many mistakes in this one.

Green Bay Packers vs. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have pretty much followed this formula in most of their games: struggle on offense all game, then nearly comeback to win with a late offensive surge. Meanwhile, the Packers have used this formula: play well on offense all game, but the defense allows the other team to take the lead. Then, when Favre is about to lead a game-winning drive, something bad happens, costing them the game. When you mix both teams together now, one of those formulas are bound to be broken. The Packers have had more success offensively, and with Ahman Green starting this week, I'm taking the Packers to win a coin flip type of game.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans
Jacksonville looked great, then bad, then great again. They've suffered two major injuries on defense, but all around, this is still a solid football team. Maurice Jones-Drew has delivered a spark on offense, even allowing Fred Taylor to improve upon his gameplan. David Carr isn't the quarterback rating leader anymore after getting crushed by the Texans last week. Houston should be in for a long day against Jacksonville, who will see another solid game from their running backs.

New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
Earlier this season, the Bills just missed pulling the upset on the Patriots. Then, the Bills went on to continue to look competitive for a few more games. Unfortunately, the past few weeks, the Patriots have been lights out while the Bills have played very poorly. Buffalo always seems to hang tough with New England, but they should be physically overmatched in this game. Tom Brady will look to establish his relationship with Doug Gabriel in the passing game further. The Bills had their chance to upset New England already, and despite being at home, this game shouldn't be that close.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It's hard to say Bruce Gradkowski will have a bad game after what he's done the past two weeks against two good football teams. Overall though, the fact still remains that the Buccaneers have a lot of work to do before they get their team on the right track again. The Eagles are coming off of a hard-fought loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles didn't really blow the game, as both teams put on a great show. Donovan McNabb is having an MVP-like season for the Eagles, and will have more success against the Buccaneers secondary than Carson Palmer did a week ago. Look for the tides to turn for the Buccaneers, back to the negative side of things. Eagles win in a blowout.

San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
As LaDainian Tomlinson was rushing for four touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers, the Chiefs were getting torn apart by a Steelers team that hadn't looked very good all season long. Larry Johnson is not having anywhere near the season people imagined, and even when he has faced weaker opponents, it's been tough for him to find room. Part of that may have to do with Trent Green not being back yet. Although Damon Huard has been manageable, Green is the person that needs to be leading their offense. Phillip Rivers has been more than manageable for the Chargers, who will have to play a turnover free game to win on the road. The Chiefs will rebound and go toe to toe with San Diego, but won't be able to hang on for the win.

Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns
I've been picking about one upset a week lately, some of which have come true. This is the upset pick this week, as the Denver Broncos luck of not allowing touchdowns will hurt them in this game. The offense has not been pressured to put a game on their shoulders yet. The Browns offense has struggled at times, but against a tough defense like the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks ago, the offense was able to lead the Browns to a shocking 14-3 lead at halftime. The Broncos will let the Browns hang around too late in the game, and Cleveland will rally behind their home crowd for the late upset.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Oakland Raiders
With how the Cardinals have basically "choked" the past two weeks after establishing commanding leads early, you almost hesitate to pick them in this game. However, the fact still remains that the Raiders are downright still. The amount of false starts they had last week was embarrassing, and there's nothing exciting to watch about this team. The only thing we get to hear about during a Raiders game is how many mistakes they make, the trouble with Jerry Porter, and whether Randy Moss actually cares about being there. Matt Leinart's strong showings will finally pay off for his first career victory.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks picked up their biggest win of the season over the St. Louis Rams last week. They were on pace to lose their second game in a row since losing Shaun Alexander, and would've fallen behind in their division by two games to the Rams. Until Alexander comes back, they're going to have to win games via their passing game. That's good news for Seattle, who made the best trade possible a few weeks ago in acquiring Deion Branch from the Raiders. Branch has been a perfect fit for Matt Hasselbeck. The Vikings are hanging around in the NFC North, but still aren't a powerhouse type of team to win a game like this.

There you have it, my predictions for the seventh week of the regular season. Last week, I took the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Houston Texans as my survivor pick. I was nervous at half time, but things played out as I had imagined during the second half. With my survivor winning streak at six, I'm taking the Jacksonville Jaguars to defeat the Houston Texans this week. It's the only game I'm completely sold on, and I'm still saving a team like the Colts and the Bears for later in the season.

Predictions Record to Date: 59-28(Better than last year)
Last Week: 9-4(Decent for a 13-game week)
Survivor Streak: Won 6 (Phi over Hou, Bal over Oak, Was over Hou, Cle over Oak, NO over TB, Dal over Hou.)

The World Series will be exciting between the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals. I'd like to see the Cardinals win, but I think the Tigers will be the team that pulls it out. Don't let the World Series distract you from the fact that football will be played this week though. Although, I don't like the idea of having six bye teams per week; it doesn't seem like there are enough games to keep be satisfied. Maybe I'm just being picky.

-Chris Pokorny